Sports Dietitians Evaluation of Food Provision for Athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Fiona E Pelly; Angela Dufour; Gary Slater

doi:10.1002/ejsc.12276

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Sports Dietitians Evaluation of Food Provision for Athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Sports Dietitians Evaluation of Food Provision for Athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Fiona E Pelly, Angela Dufour and Gary Slater

European Journal of Sport Science, Vol.25(4), pp.1-13

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsc.12276

PMCID: PMC11882354

PMID: 40044604

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Abstract

athlete

competition

COVID-19

dietitian

food provision

nutrition

International expert review by sports dietitians/nutritionists of the food provision for the Summer and Winter Olympic and Paralympic games (OPG) has occurred since 2008, with inconsistent ratings between events. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe outcomes of an evaluation of food provision for the 2020 Tokyo OPG on three separate occasions: Phases 1 and 2 on paper reviews pre COVID-19 (2019) and an onsite (Phase 3) review (2021). A secondary aim was to compare level of experience of sports dietitians/nutritionists for overall rating of the menu. A previously developed survey for review of food provision at past OPG was adapted to include questions relevant to the 2020 Tokyo OPG main dining hall menu, other food outlets, venues and satellite villages. Food provision in the main dining hall on site rated significantly better overall (p = 0.037) and for specific aspects of the menu on site than proposed in 2019. This may be attributed to a long lead in time, fewer numbers attending due to COVID-19, less time spent in the dining hall and a high turnover of food. However, comments suggested less flexibility to modify the menu during the event. Satellite operations and venues were rated 'good' for food safety but 'poor' for performance, dietary and cultural needs. There was a negative correlation between expert overall rating and years of experience (p = 0.008). Monitoring of food provision at OPG by sports nutrition experts is essential to ensure delivery of suitable food for athletes' health and performance.

Details

Title: Sports Dietitians Evaluation of Food Provision for Athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Authors: Fiona E Pelly - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Nutrition & Dietetics
Angela Dufour - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health
Gary Slater - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Nutrition & Dietetics
Publication details: European Journal of Sport Science, Vol.25(4), pp.1-13
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.1002/ejsc.12276
ISSN: 1536-7290
PMID: 40044604; PMC11882354
Copyright note: © 2025 The Author(s). European Journal of Sport Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH on behalf of European College of Sport Science. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Nutrition & Dietetics
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991110928802621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Sport Sciences